Deciding to remedy that, Ryder reached between them to tentatively stroke Hunter’s member. Hunter made a soft noise of surprise and bucked hard into the touch, even as Ryder continued to thrust into him. “Should I stop?” Ryder questioned, his voice deepened by lust.
“I’ll never forgive you if you do,” Hunter replied with a growl, wrapping his arms around Ryder’s neck and embracing his rival completely.
“Understood,” Ryder said with a chuckle, adding more strength to his actions.
Only the sounds of their pleasure could be heard as they continued toward their release, gradually becoming more vocal as they neared it. Ryder succumbed first with a wordless cry before ensuring that Hunter followed shortly thereafter, working his rival’s hard length until he climaxed with a moan.
They remained still for a few moments, trying to compose themselves. Ryder felt oddly connected to Hunter as they silently looked at each other, but finally he withdrew, feeling self-conscious. Hunter released Ryder as he basked in the afterglow of his release.
Ryder hesitated as to what to do next. Part of him wanted to lay down next to Hunter, but the forwardness of the action bothered him. At the same time, his legs were protesting over remaining in the same position.
Realizing that they had too much time to lay around, but not enough time for a second round, Hunter decided to allow Ryder into his sanctuary area. “Come on,” Hunter said as he got off the bed, gesturing for Ryder to follow him as he shrugged out of the silk robe and let it fall to the floor. He first led the way to a room off to the left, sliding open the door and stepping into a small bathroom that was far more modest than the one in the first hotel suite.
Ryder discreetly cleaned himself, politely ignoring Hunter doing the same. Only after Hunter cleared his throat did Ryder turn around, a faint blush on his cheeks as he regarded his completely nude rival. Hunter once again led the way out of the room.
As the door was slid open, Ryder gasped at the sight before him, completely surprised by what he was seeing. It led to an outdoor balcony that was staged to look like a Japanese onsen hot spring, completing the theme of the room. A hot tub served as a stand in for the hot spring, with large gray rocks scattered around the rim and beautiful red Japanese maple trees. It was hard to believe that they were in the middle of Manhattan, and not at a real ryōkan. It felt so peaceful, and Ryder had to marvel at the inviting sight of the steam rising from the water.
A cool breeze brushed against Ryder and he felt a chill rise on his skin as he finally looked over at Hunter with a silent question, his mind still reeling in more ways than one.
“You should consider yourself lucky,” Hunter told Ryder as he shut the door behind them and walked over to the hot tub. “I rarely let anyone back here.”
Instead of questioning what made Hunter bring him there, Ryder commented in awe, “I can’t believe there’s something like this up here.”
As Hunter eased himself into the steaming water, a contented sigh escaped from him as he immediately relaxed. “It’s great in the winter,” Hunter commented, “especially when it starts to snow.”
Ryder hesitantly stepped into the warm water and sat down next to Hunter with a sigh of his own at how amazing it felt after what they had done. “I can imagine,” Ryder said, thinking about how it would feel to have snow dusting around them, melting instantly on his heated skin upon contact.
They sat in companionable silence for some time, enjoying the moment as the wind brushed past them and provided a nice contrast to the hot water. Ryder was the first to break the silence as he asked, “Is this really okay with you?”
Holding back a groan, Hunter feigned ignorance as he questioned, “What? Letting you back here?”
“No, I mean all of this,” Ryder softly clarified, grateful that his blush could now be mistaken for a reaction to the hot water.
“I’m obviously not the one with the issue,” Hunter retorted, sounding somewhat miffed and amused at the same time.
“I…it’s…” Ryder tried to explain, frowning at his failure to articulate his problem.
Quietly sighing, Hunter found Ryder’s hand under the water and used it to pull Ryder closer to him. Ryder ended up straddled over Hunter’s lap as he looked questioningly into blue eyes. “It’s a little late for regrets, wouldn’t you agree?” Hunter asked.
“It’s not a regret, so much as it is…” Ryder tried to explain before trailing off into silence.
“Shame? Embarrassment? Disappointment? What?” Hunter listed, never taking his eyes off of Ryder’s.
Shrugging and feeling horribly inadequate as a result, Ryder mumbled, “I don’t know, it’s weird.”
“Did you enjoy it?” Hunter questioned, looking smug since he already knew the answer. When he received a miserable nod, Hunter laughed. “Then what’s the problem?”
Ryder didn’t think he would ever be able to properly explain his issue with what had been occurring between them. Part of the problem was that Ryder wanted more, that it was becoming harder to remain satisfied with the way things had always been between them. It was all so confusingly complicated and Ryder didn’t know what to do or say about it.
“Just accept it for what it is,” Hunter advised. “Stop overcomplicating things.”
“Yeah, but what is it?” Ryder questioned as he shifted slightly to relieve the pressure on his knees.
“Intriguing,” Hunter answered without hesitation, leaning forward and capturing Ryder’s lips in another kiss. Hunter thought it might be a little addicting, but he would never admit such a thing out loud. It didn’t stop him from running his hands along Ryder’s sides before lightly rubbing his thumbs over his nipples until they pebbled under his touch.
Ryder gasped at the sensation and he made the water slosh as he jerked in surprise at the touch. “Don’t,” Ryder groaned, already feeling the stirring of desire again.
Hunter merely chuckled before pulling Ryder even closer in order to sensuously kiss his neck, making his rival writhe on top of him. “Why not?” Hunter asked as he ran his hands down Ryder’s back to firmly grope his ass.
Ryder tilted his head back with a gasp, awash in pleasure, even as he warned, “We can’t.”
Continuing to kiss Ryder’s neck, Hunter challenged, “Why can’t we?” He shamelessly ran his fingers over Ryder’s entrance and he felt himself stir once again at the thought of burying himself in that tight, virginal warmth. “We still have time.…”
As soon as Ryder started to answer, Hunter moved one of his hands to the front and discovered the start of a promising hardness. Immediately stroking the burgeoning erection to encourage it, Hunter smirked when it caused Ryder to lean forward, resting his head on the shoulder in front of him with a shuddering sigh. He experienced an immense feeling of satisfaction when Ryder reflexively started to kiss Hunter’s neck in response as he thrust into his fist. Hunter loved knowing he could affect his rival so deeply with such a small action.
“You still haven’t answered me,” Hunter arrogantly reminded, even as he slid his cock along the cleft of Ryder’s ass in a teasing motion. It was far too tempting and Hunter knew he was playing a dangerous game with his own desires, although it was beyond him why he was torturing himself in such a manner.
Ryder instinctively thrust down on the feeling, shuddering at the sensation of Hunter continuing to sensuously run his rigid member against his ass. They continued the mockery of a more sensuous act, moving as if they were intimately connected. Ryder moaned as he moved, uncaring of who might hear him. Sensations easily dominated thoughts and reason as Ryder gave in, once again shamelessly enjoying the pleasure. It made Ryder ache for things he didn’t know how to ask for, but those were thoughts for another time. When Hunter ran his thumb over the sensitive head of the cock in his hand, he was unsurprised when it caused another orgasm. Ryder could only lowly moan as he melted against his rival in total bliss.
“So cruel,” Ryder groaned as he absentmindedly nuzzled Hunter, knowing it was g
etting progressively harder to deny things later.
“Why cruel?” Hunter questioned as he stilled his movements, wrapping his arms around Ryder’s waist in a loose embrace.
“Because you know it feels good,” Ryder muttered.
Chuckling at that, Hunter replied, “You say that like it’s a bad thing.” He brushed aside Ryder’s bangs, which were sticking to his cheek. “I mean, it’s kind of the point.…”
Ryder couldn’t think about it anymore. He felt completely boneless and relaxed in the moment, feeling as if nothing in the world could bother him in Hunter’s arms. Hunter was surprised at how reassuring it was to have Ryder resting against him like that. It would have been disturbing if it weren’t so utterly comfortable. It was a rare moment of calm stillness in a place that never afforded him such an experience, which was enough to distract Hunter from his hormones, despite the fact that he was still hard. Once again, things seemed to have become more complicated, but Hunter simply didn’t care right now. It could be dealt with later.
Eventually Ryder started to move, because he recognized that if he didn’t he would fall asleep in Hunter’s arms, which would be beyond embarrassing. “I think the heat’s getting to me,” Ryder muttered as he awkwardly got out of the hot tub.
“Weakling,” Hunter teased as he followed suit, grinning at the dirty look Ryder gave him at the insult. Hunter tossed a towel in Ryder’s direction to interrupt a rant. He then began to dry himself off, before wrapping it around his waist, even though it offered no coverage for his prominent erection.
“Hardly,” Ryder shot back as he walked over to where his clothes had been strewn about earlier. Ryder forced himself to quickly dress, since he figured that he was probably close to being out of time. He once again felt self-conscious at being the only one dressed. It was made even worse because he could easily see how hard Hunter was under the towel. He was overly aware of Hunter’s gaze on him, causing Ryder to scowl in annoyance. “What?”
Shrugging with a disinterested look, Hunter denied, “Nothing.”
Before Ryder could say anything, there was a quiet knock on the door that startled him. Looking questioningly at Hunter, Ryder was surprised to find himself looking into blue eyes that seemed closer than they had been before.
Placing his hand against Ryder’s cheek in order to feel the heated blush, Hunter softly said, “I’ll see you tomorrow.” He captured Ryder’s lips in a gentle kiss. Hunter’s instincts were yelling at him that it was a terrible idea, but he had acted before fully considering the repercussions. It was a disturbing new trend when it came to Ryder.
Ryder rested his hand on Hunter’s bare chest to steady himself as he moaned, “Mm-hmm.” It was more challenging than it should have been to pull away so he could exit. “Night.”
Hunter said nothing further as Ryder left the room, taken away by Ishi, the Japanese woman who was his personal attendant.
Running his fingers through his hair with a quiet sigh, Hunter returned to the hot tub to soak further, hoping that it would distract him from thoughts best left alone.
Ryder had been on edge all day as he waited for something to happen. Their industrial psychology class had been a relatively quiet affair, outside of a normal argument between Jake and Derrick over the former’s sister. Hunter had been almost suspiciously inconspicuous in their shared classes, not saying or doing anything that hinted at what they had done the previous evening. It made Ryder feel even worse, because obviously he was obsessing over something that was insignificant to Hunter.
Of course, why should it matter to Hunter? After all, it was only his job. And yet, that thought left a terrible feeling at the pit of Ryder’s stomach that was hard to ignore.
Ryder’s sociology professor finally dismissed class—his last one of the day. He wanted nothing more than to go home and try to catch up on the sleep he had missed, so distracted by his thoughts of Hunter the previous night. Sadly, he knew he had to survive an evening out with Derrick and Jake first.
Packing up his things on autopilot, Ryder blindly started making his way downstairs. In his distraction, he accidentally bumped into someone when they stopped short in front of him. An apology was on the tip of Ryder’s tongue until he realized that the person he had run into was Hunter. Instead of apologizing, Ryder asked in bewilderment, “What are you doing here?”
Standing closer than he needed to, Hunter couldn’t keep the knowing smirk off his face as he ignored the question and casually commented, “You seem tired.”
“Since when do you care?” Ryder defensively muttered as he started walking away, trying to seem as disinterested as Hunter appeared to be. It was becoming exceedingly difficult to maintain an unaffected demeanor as Hunter followed him, but Ryder did his best to hide his jumbled emotions.
Chuckling to himself in amusement, Hunter waited until they were out of the building to say, “I was wondering what kept you up all night.”
The innuendo brought a blush to Ryder’s cheeks as he tried unsuccessfully to repress the memories that were starting to stir. “You should know,” Ryder said as he glared at Hunter, stopping outside the building to finish the conversation.
“Indeed,” Hunter seductively teased, not doing anything to help quell Ryder’s desires.
The tone of Hunter’s voice sent an involuntary shiver through Ryder. He jumped when he felt Hunter brush against him. “Will you stop?” Ryder requested, sounding exasperated.
“That’s not what you wanted last night,” Hunter murmured, pleased with the soft groan of protest with an undercurrent of need that escaped past Ryder’s lips. “You seemed to want more, actually.…”
“Damn it, Hunter!” Ryder all but yelled, but the sound was absorbed by the noisy throng of students entering and exiting the building. Turning to face Hunter, Ryder frowned in disapproval, although it didn’t even seem to register with his rival. “Why are you doing this?”
Completely unfazed by Ryder’s outburst, Hunter shrugged as he countered, “Why are you so bothered by it?”
Ryder didn’t have an easy answer. He looked up irritably at Hunter, only to be completely disarmed by the almost playful look in those bright blue eyes. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” Ryder accused, suddenly struck by the realization.
“Immensely,” Hunter confirmed as he leaned closer, enunciating the word in a sensuous manner against the shell of Ryder’s ear, so that he shuddered. “But not nearly as much as what we did last night….”
Ryder was getting pulled into Hunter’s pace at a dangerous rate, once again feeling the connection between them and the growing, insatiable need building up inside of him. It was a familiar feeling, yet completely new at the same time, enhanced by their previous experiences. He didn’t understand why he was so drawn to Hunter, and what they had done last night only further complicated things for Ryder. In spite of the danger, everything inside Ryder was clamoring for more of Hunter.
Ryder recklessly tilted his head, as if offering silent permission without even being aware of it. Thus, it came as a complete shock when the moment was broken by Jake yelling, “What the fuck is going on here?”
Although Ryder guiltily jumped, Hunter maintained an unruffled disposition as he coolly responded, “We’re being rudely interrupted.”
Angrily narrowing his eyes, Jake looked suspiciously between the two men, who were standing far closer than he deemed necessary, before clarifying, “That’s not what I’m talking about, asshole!”
“Jake,” Ryder tried to placate his friend as he turned to face him, but to no avail.
“No, I want to know what’s going on!” Jake insisted, unable to shake the feeling that there was something going on between them. “There’s no reason for you two to be all close and shit.”
Ryder was getting nervous about the direction of Jake’s questioning, but Hunter took it completely in stride. Standing even closer to Ryder, but resisting the urge to touch him, Hunter maintained eye contact with Jake as he asked, “Does this bother yo
u?”
Unaware of the sensual way that Hunter was moving his hips against Ryder, Jake simply noticed his friend’s discomfort and pulled him away. “Yeah, it does,” Jake growled threateningly as he tried unsuccessfully to intimidate Hunter, pushing Ryder behind him and away from the perceived harm.
Ryder stepped to the side and out of Jake’s reach. He knew he should put a stop to the argument before it got worse.
Viciously smirking in response to Ryder’s defiance, Hunter fully turned his attention to Jake, approaching him like a predator cornering his prey. Getting closer than Jake was comfortable with, Hunter leaned in and murmured low in his ear, “Are you jealous, mutt?”
Shoving Hunter away, Jake snapped, “No, I—”
“Your actions say otherwise,” Hunter interrupted to taunt.
Jake’s cheeks flushed in anger and Ryder noticed his friend was tightening his hand into a fist as if preparing for an assault. Deciding to intervene, Ryder subtly pulled Hunter back and stepped in between the two feuding men as he chastised, “Knock it off, you two!”
Ignoring Ryder, Jake continued, “Yo, what the fuck is your problem?”
“You,” Hunter decisively answered, taking a step closer to Ryder under the guise of approaching Jake. Ryder inhaled sharply when he felt Hunter brush against his ass, trying not to visibly react and tip off Jake.
“Yeah? Well, tough shit! Deal with it!” Jake yelled.
Sounding particularly arrogant, Hunter predicted, “I sincerely doubt that you’d like the way I would ‘deal with it,’ as you say.”
Hunter’s words sent a perverse thrill through Ryder despite the severity of the situation.
“Is that a threat?” Jake demanded.
“It’ll be a promise if you keep trying to interfere,” Hunter replied, his blue eyes taking on a steely glint.
It took a moment for the comment to process before Jake questioned, “Interfere with what?”
Fearing that they were getting too close to the real issue of the brothel, Ryder once again tried to curtail the conversation. “This is accomplishing nothing,” Ryder irritably interjected. “Aren’t we supposed to be meeting up with Derrick?”
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